On Monday the 11th I had the delight of interviewing one of Bloomsburg University’s psychology professors and also my advisor, Dr. Mary Duncan. With this interview, I learned how significant the aspect of writing actually is in the psychology field. Not only are there many different genres of writing there is also a large audience you are writing for. And with all this work Dr. Duncan assured me the reward is worth it!
In the field of psychology, Dr. Duncan informed me that there is no one type of writing a person with her level of degree prepares. She has to write research articles, lesson plans, grant proposals, make up brochures, and manuscripts for a start. This really surprised me; I knew that this major would require a bit of work, however, I did not contemplate the amount of difference it would fall into! This answer definitely disposed of any slight interest I may have had to become a professor. Not that I ever wanted to, or because I can’t handle the work load, but because I am not the biggest fan of writing and I wouldn’t want to spend every day doing something I disliked. My goal is to become a psychologist that conducts a one on one practice. I am sure writing is involved with any concentration of the field, so maybe I’ll learn to love it!
Another surprise I encountered was finding out what sorts of audiences Dr. Duncan writes for. I pretty much assumed that she wrote for students, being that she is a professor, but I didn’t realize she also wrote for parents and does not only write but presents work to audiences. As she leans back in her chair she explains to me how research needs to be explained and presented not just thrown on a piece of paper and handed in.
Even though I am not sure if Dr. Duncan likes to write or not, it is very clear that she gets self-fulfillment out of her work. She goes on to tell me how one of the best things she gets out of it is the ability to “apply her own knowledge.” I would guess that after almost a decade of schooling that would be an amazing feeling. With my own future, I personally cannot wait to be able to help people on my own terms while applying everything I learned up until that very moment.
Finally, Dr. Duncan states that she admires an article by Alan Kazdin called “Preparing and evaluating research articles.” Stating it is impossible to pick one article to admire because there are just so many, she settles with Kazdin because it’s “beautiful” and she likes to remind herself of it when preparing writing. When explaining this, a smile forms across her face as she leans over to open one of her office drawers and asks me if I would like a copy of it. Seeing that there is only one, she hands me another paper with a brief summary with the same title.
Right before I get up to thank her for her time, the interviews switches as she starts to ask me a few questions of her own. “I’m doing a survey” she says and of course I am more than happy to help out. All in all, I learned quite a bit about writing in the psychology field. Though some of it seems more stressful than rewarding, I am excited to begin my own career down the line!
In the field of psychology, Dr. Duncan informed me that there is no one type of writing a person with her level of degree prepares. She has to write research articles, lesson plans, grant proposals, make up brochures, and manuscripts for a start. This really surprised me; I knew that this major would require a bit of work, however, I did not contemplate the amount of difference it would fall into! This answer definitely disposed of any slight interest I may have had to become a professor. Not that I ever wanted to, or because I can’t handle the work load, but because I am not the biggest fan of writing and I wouldn’t want to spend every day doing something I disliked. My goal is to become a psychologist that conducts a one on one practice. I am sure writing is involved with any concentration of the field, so maybe I’ll learn to love it!
Another surprise I encountered was finding out what sorts of audiences Dr. Duncan writes for. I pretty much assumed that she wrote for students, being that she is a professor, but I didn’t realize she also wrote for parents and does not only write but presents work to audiences. As she leans back in her chair she explains to me how research needs to be explained and presented not just thrown on a piece of paper and handed in.
Even though I am not sure if Dr. Duncan likes to write or not, it is very clear that she gets self-fulfillment out of her work. She goes on to tell me how one of the best things she gets out of it is the ability to “apply her own knowledge.” I would guess that after almost a decade of schooling that would be an amazing feeling. With my own future, I personally cannot wait to be able to help people on my own terms while applying everything I learned up until that very moment.
Finally, Dr. Duncan states that she admires an article by Alan Kazdin called “Preparing and evaluating research articles.” Stating it is impossible to pick one article to admire because there are just so many, she settles with Kazdin because it’s “beautiful” and she likes to remind herself of it when preparing writing. When explaining this, a smile forms across her face as she leans over to open one of her office drawers and asks me if I would like a copy of it. Seeing that there is only one, she hands me another paper with a brief summary with the same title.
Right before I get up to thank her for her time, the interviews switches as she starts to ask me a few questions of her own. “I’m doing a survey” she says and of course I am more than happy to help out. All in all, I learned quite a bit about writing in the psychology field. Though some of it seems more stressful than rewarding, I am excited to begin my own career down the line!